The 2024 "Books About Books" Book Awards

It's been another very full year of great books. Looking back it seems that many of the new titles in the books about books category have a strong theme of the "importance of books" connecting them. I don't know if this is in response to the way digital spaces and tools are crowding our lives or the stress of the times many folks are feeling, but it's great to see so many new books in the universe of books about books.

So just like last year I have only two rules:

• I am only selecting from books that I have read.
• The book must have been published in the year that is being considered.

The rules are the same as are the following categories. The only new things are the header graphic and the fact that I have set up BookShop.org affiliate shop links. So if you do click through and buy something, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. But no matter what, I only recommend books I like and that I think you will too.

Thinking through to next year... I think I am going to reset my 'review calendar'. This is for two reasons: one, there are a few really good books that released in December that I just did not have time to finish reading and I think they need to be able to be considered. And two, one of the categories is Best Gift Book, with the idea of a cool title that would make a gift any book lover would appreciate and I think it would be helpful to have that out in the world prior to the gift giving season. Or maybe I'm over thinking all of this! Who knows. But it's fun to think through.

Anyway... here we go with the 2024 Best of the "Books About Books" Book Awards:

Best Book About Book Culture and Industry

I love a good book of essays and Any Person Is the Only Self did not disappoint. Author Elisa Gabbert is a poet and cultural critic who captured many of the bookish folks' feelings and thoughts. It falls squarely in the Book Culture category.

Gabbert does a wonderful job of balancing the personal with the universal when it comes to thoughts on books, libraries, writing, the pandemic, and our social lives.

Any Person Is the Only Self was a confusing title for me to parse... I wasn't really sure what those words meant... the book left me with a strong sense of the permanence of books and writing as their contribution and place in helping build community and guide conversations.

The writing is elegant and messy at the same time, making it easy and accessible to read. I recommend this one to everyone who longs for smart conversations with other book readers.

Best Book About Book History

The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore, by Evan Friss was seemingly everywhere earlier this year. Turns out it was for good reason. This one has enough of an almanac vibe that you get that same serendipitous feeling as when you find an excellent book on the shelves of a well-stocked used bookstore.

There are places where Friss gets a little sappy about bookstores and booksellers, but what book lover doesn't? There are places where the anecdotes and historical tidbits come so quickly that you will find yourself reaching for a pen so you can share the tidbits with your book club.

But what is most enjoyable is Friss's sense of place that bookstores have and the importance of physical spaces (filled with books that you can own) to our communities. This is not a new idea, but when presented with all of the history, names, and stories, it sinks in a little more and hits closer to the soul than other more well-researched/academic books in this category do.

Best Bookish Profile

In a year that seemed to have more bookish memoirs published than usual, I was thankful for and truly enjoyed Reading the Room by Paul Yamazaki. This very slim book was published by Ode Books and billed as "...Paul Yamazaki's love letter to the work of bookselling and an engaged life of the mind.", which is a description that I found fitting.

Yamazaki has worked at the famed City Lights bookshop in San Francisco for many years and has developed a solid sense of the power both place and books have in the world. It's a worldview that is crystalized well via the question-and-answer format of Reading the Room.

Yamazaki's shared experiences shine best when answering questions about the role and responsibilities of a bookseller when it comes to book recommendations and stocking titles on the shelves. He also has some insightful views on the need for new, fresh voices in the world of bookselling. 

At only 100 pages, this pocket-sized book will leave you thinking and longing for more conversations with bookish people.

Best Gift Book

Allison Rudnick's The Art of the Literary Poster, published by Metropolitan Museum of Art and Yale University Press, is an easy pick this year. I didn't run across any other book that was this gorgeous and smart all at the same time.

While literary posters certainly had their moment in time, they scratch the same itch for readers today as they did then and resonate with folks who like to look up celebrity library posters.

This book has tons of fantastic re-reprints, and the colors are amazing. The shapes, styles, and subject matter often feel timeless.

There are many recognizable names in here and even some that are new to me, but we should know (apparently, illustrated posters were one of the few unsung places where women artists could get a start and create a career).

The book truly shines when it helps you better understand the printing techniques and art of the day. I mean this book is for people who like to geek out over their love of books - The Art of the Literary Poster is a wonderful read in that regard, and any book lover would be thrilled to receive this.